Oyo State TESCOM boss, Pastor Akinade Alamu has responded to allegations that he intentionally set a verification exercise for newly employed teachers in the state on Monday, to deny Muslims equal chance.
Speaking with Oyoaffairs correspondent on Monday afternoon, the TESCOM boss clarified that it wasn’t a-day screening exercise as circulated on social media, but a continuous database verification exercise to have all names and details of the new teachers registered and recognised internationally.
“There is no screening. Nobody is being inconvenienced or punished. It’s a database capture exercise, that’s all…they are just critising.
“We are aware that there is holiday and that is why we limited it to those in Ibadan, if they can do it today, they can do it and go back home or do it next tomorrow or even next week. It is a continuous exercise, just to capture the newly recruited teachers to have their capture registered so internationally, anybody can see them.
“I have reached out to Prof. Ishaq Akintola and explained the situation to him, and he agreed with me. He has agreed to write a rejoinder to his earlier statement on social media. There is no reason we should victimise anybody”, he added.
Earlier, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola had criticised TESCOM for fixing today, which is Eid-el-Kabir public holiday, for the screening of newly recruited teachers in the state is distasteful, alleging that it is a ploy by ‘Seyi-Makinde government to weed out Muslim teachers in the state.
MURIC had urged the newly recruited Muslim teachers to boycott the screening, describing it as an “illegal, illegitimate, unlawful and unconstitutional screening exercise.
“We are waiting to see them do the screening without Muslim teachers tomorrow. The federal government declared the day and the day after as Salah holidays and that declaration was given wide publicity.
“‘Seyi Makinde is not deaf. It is plain Islamophobe. ‘Seyi Makinde is marginalising Muslims. He is persecuting us. But as law-abiding citizens, we will not go violent. We will not take the law into our hands.
“We are ready to go to court over this matter. Any such exercise carried out on a public holiday is ultra vires. It is null and void. It is impunity of the highest order. It is a hate action against Oyo State Muslims. How can you expect Muslims to stay back during the Salah holidays for a kangaroo screening exercise?
“Can ‘Seyi Makinde pick Christmas or Easter holidays to do this? This is done in bad conscience”, MURIC had stated.
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